Take your stand and refuse to budge
by Syblime
Summary: An alternative version of events at the Swan Inn. Nominated for a 2014 Highclere Award! Wow! Thank you guys!


_Okay, so I wrote this between ep 2.7 and 2.8, before I knew about their happy ending. This is just a little take on what could have happened at The Swan inn. Enjoy :)_

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><p>"How did you find us? How did you know?" Tom had jumped out of the chair with lightening speed. Sybil followed suit, swinging her legs out of bed and turning the small lamp on as she stood.<p>

"Never mind that. At least nothing's happened, thank god."

"What do you mean nothing's happened? I've decided to marry Tom and your coming after me won't change that."

"This isn't the way." Edith pleaded.

"She's right. Of course Mama and Papa will hate it…"

"Why should they?" Branson challenged.

"Oh pipe down." The scorn in Mary's voice tore at Sybil's heart. "Sybil, Can't you let them get used to the idea? Take your stand and refuse to budge, but allow them time. That way you won't have to break up the family."

"They would never give permission."

"You don't need permission; you're old enough to make your own decisions. But you do need their forgiveness if you're not to start your new life under a black shadow."

"Don't listen. She's pretending to be reasonable to get you home again." Branson was ever the politician, showing the flaws of his opponent.

"Even if I am, even if I think this is mad, I know it would be better to do it in broad daylight than to sneak of like a thief in the night."

"No. Mary what good would it do? Papa will scream at me, mama will look disappointed. They'll try and send Tom away, and then we will have the same scenario as we do now, perhaps with mama and papa tagging along. A little family outing, in order to keep the family name pristine." Tom could have laughed at the likeliness of the picture she painted.

"Darling, please. They don't deserve it, not from you."

"Not from me? Mary do you realise how ridiculous you sound? Are you implying that if you ran off it would matter less?"

"Of course not." Mary quickly defended herself because Sybil was close to the truth.

"Anyway, what difference will time make? They will still disapprove and I will be forced into the company of various other 'suitors' while my heart is with Tom. Is that the only future prospect you have for me? To be utterly miserable until I'm too old to find an approved match and need to be fobbed off on someone?"

"Sybil!" Mary was surprised at the argument her sister was putting up.

"Mary, you told me to take my stand." Sybil entwined her fingers with Tom's to give her that extra strength. "I'm staying here. I refuse to budge."

The older sisters looked at each other. They had a fight on their hands now. Edith was ready to admit defeat. In the car Mary had made it sound all so easy, by this point they would be happily driving home with Sybil in the car with them. Mary however recovered her senses.

"Darling, how will you live?"

Branson could feel his anger rising, but Sybil laughed.

"Why? You want to come to tea, and you are wondering who will make it for you? Well, probably I will some days, and I'm sure Tom will on others." She looked up at him for reassurance. He smiled back at her. "We are both employable. We'll be a working couple, with money coming in. I'm sure we can find a flat that isn't too expensive. It's all possible."

"And when you have children?" Mary watched as her sister blushed. She had obviously struck a chord with that one. "Don't tell me that you hadn't considered that?" A sly smile was pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"I don't think that will come into it for a while." Sybil spoke to the floor. She had not discussed this topic with Tom, and she did not intend to have the conversation with her sisters in the room.

"Sybil wants a career, and I respect that. I'm not going to put her in a position that will compromise her plans." Branson tried to be careful with his wording. It was exceedingly awkward talking about this in front on her family.

Mary laughed cattily. "Compromise her plans? All men are going to…"

"Mary! This is unreasonable! Our purpose of coming here was to try and get Sybil to come home. If I was her right now, I would be thinking of how much better my life will be once you're not in it anymore." Edith's sudden outburst shocked the whole room. "I think we've done enough." She turned to Sybil, "I do think it would be better for you to at least try and discuss this with Papa, but in some ways I envy your courage and your bravery." Sybil let go of Tom's hand and hugged her sister.

"Thank you."

As they drew apart, Edith looked at Branson. "I hope you make her happy."

Branson's gaze flicked between the two sisters as he replied. "So do I."

Edith walked out of the door and began to descend the stairs. Mary followed her.

"What was all that about? I promised myself that we wouldn't leave without Sybil."

"How can you say that, after what you said to her? Anyway, it's not as if your reputation can get much worse, and to be honest she looks so happy, I don't want to ruin that."

"She won't be happy. Not when she is living in squalor with five young children running about her."

"Remove yourself from the upper class view of marriage, just for an instant. Sybil isn't under pressure to produce an heir, and you could see that he was genuine in his care for her."

"Oh, Edith you can be terribly naïve, almost as much as Sybil."

"Okay, fine, I'll say it. Just because Pamuk used you, and Sir Richard is trying to force himself on you, you don't need to destroy the happiness of your sister." It was oddly relieving to Edith, to have actually said it. The setting of a foreign stairwell, leading to the room her sister was currently occupying with the chauffeur, and a woman downstairs trying to stay awake at the desk, gave her point more of an edge. Mary was dumbstruck. Edith had hit the nail on the head, even before she herself had realised why she was so against this. Edith lowered her voice again. "We should go."

At the reception desk Mary bestowed the proprietor a curt nod and headed out of the door. Edith remained behind. Mary rolled her eyes at her sister and walked back into the building.

"I'd like to pay for the room now, if that's alright."

"Edith, what are you doing?" Edith ignored Mary and signed the required paper to take the money from the Grantham account. "Edith! You can't do that! Papa will be mad enough when he finds out what is going on, but he will be furious if he discovers that he is paying for it."

"I think we owe it to Sybil, after the uncomfortable position you put her in. Anyway it will be nice for them to wake up and find that they don't have to spend what little money they may have. I'm doing it just this once." She thanked the lady and swept out of the door with Mary hot on her heels.

"Edith, for heavens sake, Papa will just blame it on Sybil."

"But I was the one who signed it, so he'll find out, with very little trouble that I was the one who paid."

"Well I don't envy you when he finds out that you went half of the way with them and didn't even bring her back." Anna, who was standing next to the car, lost the last inch of hope from her features as she heard Mary's comment.

"I will just have to inform him that you came with me, and more or less ruined the possibility of her coming back."

"Who says I did? I might have talked her round eventually."

Edith brushed over her sister's comment. "I intend to support Sybil in this. Obviously I would have preferred it if your plan had worked, but I'm not going to cut her off. She is still my sister."

"Mine too. I just don't approve of the man she has chosen to be my brother in law."

"I daresay she feels exactly the same about Sir Richard." Mary tensed at the name of her fiancé. She knew Sybil didn't approve of him, or of her motives for choosing him. But Mary was now stuck with the choice she had made, and she wasn't going to tell her younger sister the reason why.


End file.
